A total of almost 2,500 Wisconsin workers will have lost their jobs when the last Shopko closes for good, a state agency said Thursday.

The Department of Workforce Development said Shopko, the bankrupt Wisconsin retailer, would lay off another 1,715 employees in the state from 39 stores as it winds down operations and goes out of business.

Thursday’s announcement brings the total number of employees to lose a job as the company closes all of its stores to 2,496, according to the state.

The retail chain based in Ashwaubenon filed for bankruptcy protection in January and said it would go out of business after it couldn’t find a buyer. The company started with a Green Bay store in 1962.

“Shopko has been an integral economic fixture in many Wisconsin towns and cities,” said DWD Secretary-designee Caleb Frostman. “The changes resulting from these closures will be felt by hard-working Wisconsinites in many communities.”

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